Since it’s the first stop on the primary tour, Iowa always gets a lot of attention from both parties. Some consider it to be a litmus test for future success. Others simply look at it as the point from which momentum can be truly built. In reality, it’s relatively meaningless… except for next year.
In 2016, Iowa means a lot. Here’s why.
“Winning” Iowa is relative. It’s not really a matter of winning or losing the state as much as it is about placing well enough to get delegates. We can look at Rick Santorum in 2012 and Mike Huckabee in 2008 to know that the Iown “winner” isn’t necessarily the front runner in the overall race. Santorum was the second to last man standing before Mitt Romney finally knocked him out, but Huckabee fell quickly after his initial Iowa victory.
The overall picture of Iowa can tell us who the real players are. That normally isn’t a very big deal because there are normally only four to six realistic contenders, but the race this year is, of course, packed. We can expect a handful to pop out, but there will likely still be double digits as far as major candidates. That means that placing in the top three in Iowa this year is a crucial step towards eventual victory.
We also have the non-politician factor that’s more powerful this year than ever before. Steve Forbes placed well in 2000 with over 30% of the Iowa vote compared to 40% for George W. Bush, but otherwise there hasn’t really been a major DC outside make a run at the Republican nomination. This year, there’s at least two and possibly three if Carly Fiorina can hold on to the #3 spot.
The two serious contenders are currently neck and neck in Iowa. It’s way too early to consider this anything other than a distant placeholder of possibilities, but it tells us one important thing: outsiders are in this year. The people are sick of politicians and much of the Republican base is sick of ineffectiveness from their chosen leaders. We gave them the House and the Senate and very little has changed in Congress since.
Now, the biggest threat to Republican hopes to retake the White House in 2016 is division. That division might come in the form of Trump. It might come because we have too many candidates sticking it out too long. Iowa may be enough to convince poor candidates from lingering.
This year, Iowa could help to bring the count down to a manageable level. If we can emerge from the first four contests with five or six candidates, there’s a chance that we’ll make it through the divisions within the party. If not, we might be stuck with another four years of Democratic rule in the executive branch.
To most, I’m what you would consider to be a prude. That wasn’t always the case; perhaps a combination of conservative Christian values and a wonderfully conservative wife changed my mind. Then again, it could be fatherhood, which is the main reason people like Miley Cyrus scare me.
I remember one of my daughters watching Hannah Montana all the time. Some of the topics were a little more mature than I would like, particularly in the later seasons when she’s supposed to be college age, but for the most part it was still a PG-rated show. At the time, we were all seeing stars like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears abandon all values in an attempt to get attention, but I always thought that Cyrus might be one of the few child stars that makes it into adulthood without a total degradation of morals.
I was wrong.
This isn’t a new thing. It’s been happening for a while with celebrities rising in popularity and then falling from grace. The big difference that has been expanding since the 1960s is that the tolerance level has reversed. Scandal once brought people down. As time progressed, we saw celebrities who were able to emerge from disgrace and rebuild their fame and admiration. Today, it’s not only acceptable but in many cases profitable to be bad, to abandon values and morals for something that can only be described as demonic behavior.
We’ve never gone too deep into conspiracy theories on this blog, but I’m starting to realize that the whole “evil” influence that some have been describing in Hollywood and the music industry is actually a real thing. “Whistleblowers” like The Vigilant Christian have been calling it the Illuminati influence. In other words, there’s more than just jaded public relations firms behind the moral downfall of today’s most popular singers and actors. It’s a truly evil, demonic force.
The first thought that many people will have at this point is to think that it’s really all about money and fame. They believe that there’s no real evil or conspiracy going on but rather just a way of getting more attention. It doesn’t take much research to realize that it’s much worse than that, but I’m not going to tell you to do that research. As cowardly as it sounds, even the act of researching it and knowing what evils hide behind today’s celebrities is an act that can draw people further into it.
Today, I’m simply not going to click to see what their latest debacles entail.
Call it “sticking my head in the sand.” Call it cowardice. Call it prudence. Call it what you will, but here’s my recommendation to all. There are so many more important things to do with our lives than to give any of these celebrities, evil or not, a minute of our time. They are distractions. We have been charged to do so much and none of those charges have anything to do with watching reality TV or reading celebrity gossip blogs.
In a way, it’s a fear. Celebrities can suck us into their world with their antics. Then again, it may simply be a dismissal. Miley Cyrus, Tom Cruise, Taylor Swift, and Chris Pratt don’t deserve the attention that we give them.
Currently there are three major hurricanes named Kilo, Ignacio and Jimena, all rated as a cat 3+, that are spinning in the East and Central Pacific. A clear representation of how powerful this El Nino is, there is valid reason to worry as this will potentially be the strongest El Nino in recorded history.
This is not a conspiracy theory. This isn’t an alarmist perspective, either. Go to your local economy professor or banking expert to verify that there will be a worldwide economic collapse in the near future. At this point it would take a miracle to keep it from happening in the short term and nothing can stop it from happening in the long term.
We won’t dive into the details too much about how the economic collapse is shaping up, what effects it will have on individuals around the world, or even how it can be prevented. There are plenty of sources that go in-depth on these topics. Here, we’re going to discuss how and more importantly why the powers that be are hiding the upcoming economic collapse. Hopefully, those who have read my posts in the past realize that I’m not an alarmist nor am I one who blames everything on “the man.” In this case, however, there are alarm bells that plenty of people are ringing and it’s my responsibility to chime in with a slightly different perspective, one that doesn’t require a degree in economics to understand.
And yes, this time we truly can look to “the man” when it comes to the upcoming troubles, but only because they really have no other choice (at least from their limited perspective).
First, “hidden” in plain sight is not the right way to put it. There really is very little hidden other than some preparations likely being made by the economic elite in the world. Rather than calling it hidden, the proper way to categorize it is that it’s been made more complex than it really is. To use an appropriate analogy, let’s compare the current and future state of the world economy to an under-powered car going up a steep hill.
Imagine that the “CentralBankCar” driving the economy has already taken on a tremendous amount of weight, more than the engine can handle. This is, of course, representative of the burdens the CentralBankCar took on after the 2008-2009 collapse-avoidance maneuvers. It’s now a car with more weight than the engine can really handle.
To keep things going forward, they’ve put their foot all the way down on the gas. This represents the current state of interest rates. They’ve floored it and they have no way to make it go any lower. Unfortunately, there’s still not enough power to keep it going at a good pace so they’ve actually gotten out of the car and started pushing it as well. This is quantitative easing, producing power that the engine really doesn’t have to keep it running.
[FORBES]: Why The People's Quantitative Easing Will Simply Never Work: More on the economic fantasy games bein… http://t.co/gWnfrnf6Bh
So, we have a car with too much burden trying to make it up the steep hill of global economic needs with the passengers now out of the car pushing it up the hill to try to supplement the power that’s coming from a gas peddle pushed all the way to the floor.
Eventually, the car’s going to run out of gas. It will roll back over the people that are currently pushing it and careen back down the hill of the world economic condition. It will crash. We’ve exhausted all possible solutions.
Before the CentralBankCar runs out of gas, the powers that be will have to do something drastic. Or they won’t. The problem that we’re all unwittingly faced with requires a different analogy that I’ll bring up below. First, let’s look at the ugly solution that may or may not occur. To keep the CentralBankCar from rolling backwards to an utter crash, they would have to jettison some of the cargo. They’d have to reduce weight. Unfortunately for the average person who doesn’t realize what’s happening, we’re the weight. Our credit, our properties, even the money in our wallets represent portions of the weight that must be jettisoned. To do this would require drastic actions that most governments will avoid at all costs… at least we’d hope.
The question that governments and bankers, powers and principalities face today is whether to let the crash happen and hope to recover relatively quickly or prevent the crash by taking control of all debt and therefore most property. As insane as it sounds, those are the real options that they have before them. They could dramatically cut expenses to the point that they will likely no longer be able to operate. They could raise taxes to the point that people will no longer be able to operate. They could do both. Even if they do, there’s no guarantee that it would save the world economy because of the repercussions that such actions would have on other parts of our economy.
Trying to explain all of this in a blog post is difficult and that’s the very reason why the coming economic collapse is hidden in plain sight. It’s an extremely complex issue that makes most people glaze over. They have to count on that fact. They realize that a huge component in the success of an economy is perception. If the people believe the economy is collapsing, they’ll unwittingly contribute to making it collapse more quickly. As much as I’d love to say that it’s the evil bankers and politicians who are hiding these things from us, they’re not. It’s all right there for everyone to see as it should be, but it’s veiled in enough confusion and doubletalk to prevent it from becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Now, for the unfortunate analogy that represents our reality. The ship is sinking and there aren’t enough lifeboats for everyone. There are millions, even billions of people who will drown in the waters of economic collapse. The question is whether they will start pushing people off the boat or wait until it starts rapidly sinking. Either way, they’re getting on the lifeboats and many of us will not be given that option.
It’s not my intention to scare people to the point of acting inappropriately. Things are simply out of our hands. Personally, I’m not worried because I have faith, not in the economy but in God’s plan. Now is the time to be fully prepared for what’s to come.
In a recent test study by Consumer Reports it was found that sustainable beef has half the amount of bacteria (grass-fed even lower) when compared to conventional. From 26 cities around the country, 458 pounds of beef was tested.
The tests include 5 main bacteria: Salmonella, C. Perfringins, S. Aureus, E. Coli and Enterococcus. The findings were sobering.
Because my sarcasm was lost on the last post… here's the full report from Consumer Reports on what's going on… http://t.co/dLU3aDAGyU
One of the most significant findings of our research is that beef from conventionally raised cows was more likely to have bacteria overall, as well as bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, than beef from sustainably raised cows. We found a type of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus bacteria called MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), which kills about 11,000 people in the U.S. every year, on three conventional samples (and none on sustainable samples). And 18 percent of conventional beef samples were contaminated with superbugs—the dangerous bacteria that are resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics—compared with just 9 percent of beef from samples that were sustainably produced.
There was a time not too long ago when Marco Rubio would be drawing comparisons to past successful Presidential nominees. He’s pulling pages from playbooks that helped Democrats like Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama go from obscurity to the national stage and he’s using talking points that would impress Ronald Reagan supporters from days past and present.
Unfortunately for Rubio, his actions have him in the crowded middle of a crowded pack, which means that he’d be considered at the bottom if this were a normal election. It’s not a normal election year. It’s one that has a ton of candidates which would normally be fine for a man like Rubio. The other thing that makes it unique, however, is the one thing his campaign can’t seem to get over: Donald Trump.
While Rubio discusses issues with hundreds of students, Trump is talking to thousands of fans. While Rubio is offering a detailed picture of what he would change as President, Trump is talking in generalities that often contradict his past perspectives. While Rubio discusses his working his way up from humble beginnings in a family that lived paycheck to paycheck, Trump talks boastfully about his conquests and victories, pointing towards a glorious history that he’s built for himself.
One serious candidate, one very unserious candidate. One with plans & solutions, one with platitudes & rhetoric. http://t.co/0OgDS0OyeY
In any other election cycle, Marco Rubio would be the rising star with a chance at the top. Instead, he and all of the other candidates are being overshadowed. While some of them will be able to make it through the next few months maintaining enough relevance to be considered the alternative to Trump, Rubio is quickly fading into the middle of the pack that is, sadly, leaning too close to the bottom. The top three of four candidates will be able to make it further than New Hampshire while the rest will be begged to leave in order to stop Trump and consolidate around a real candidate. If things don’t change before Iowa, Rubio will be one of those asked to put his dreams for America on hold at least another four years.
This isn’t Rubio’s fault. In fact, it’s really not Donald Trump’s fault. Since 2012, the Republican party has demonstrated an inability to act on our behalf. This stems mostly from Congress, but it’s more than that. They weren’t able to take a weakened President Obama to task for his first term failures, rewarding him instead with a milquetoast candidate in Mitt Romney. They demonstrated some ferocity in winning the majorities in Congress, but that was as much based upon Democratic failures as Republican qualities. Once we had the majorities, we haven’t done a thing with them.
Rubio’s ineffectiveness and Trump’s effectiveness in the polls is not about them. It’s about the voters needing something that at least gives off the perception of action and right now that’s Donald Trump.
It’s still very early. Anything can happen. Still, the fiery voice of a younger Republican Party is being drowned out in the cacophony of Trump’s campaign and media following. Humility is a virtue that does not seem to have a place in politics anymore.
Conservative publication Breitbart is known for bucking the political system, even going against the mainstream Republican Establishment at times to highlight more conservative views. While they’re definitely not the “voice of the conservatives” that many seem to believe they are, their readers are clearly a mixture of average Republicans, RINOs, and conservatives based upon the split at the top.
Donald Trump is, as expected, leading the poll with 38%. That’s no surprise and is somewhat in line with the standard national polls. However, seeing Ted Cruz with an impressive 26% of the vote is a little surprising, demonstrating that he’s receiving a bigger chunk of the true conservative support than we can see in the national polls.
Ben Carson is fairing well with 9% while Carly Fiorina and Rand Paul round out the top five with 5% each. Notably not on the list at the top is Jeb Bush whose campaign seems to be floundering under the Trump onslaught.
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.Luke 19:10 (KJV)
It’s very easy for those of us who read the Bible regularly to miss individual verses that are extremely profound. Luke 19:10 is a perfect example of this, saying so much in so few words while mixed into the context of a story that seems very specific on the surface but that is extremely profound and universal.
Yeshua has traveled to Jericho. This is where we meet Zacchaeus, the chief publican (tax collector) who is considered by most to be sinners. When Yeshua calls to him amongst the crowd and declares that he will be abiding in his house that day, the people murmur about it disapprovingly. This is when Yeshua declares why He has come: to seek and to save the lost.
This is where it gets extremely profound. You’ll notice that He is seeking “that which was lost,” not “those who were lost.” It’s an important distinction to understand and a very specific wording that we must explore.
God’s people lost their way but there’s more to it than that. God divorced His people and based upon His laws once someone is divorced they cannot remarry until one has died. When Yeshua came to this world, He was seeking the lost sheep, the creation that was once married to the Creator before they committed adultery with other gods. This is why it’s important to understand that He did not seek the gentiles during his first coming. They would come later, being grafted in after His resurrection.
Once we understand that context, we can see what He was seeking and it quickly becomes clear that there was only one way He could save without breaking His own laws. He had to die. This allowed the Covenant to be renewed and opened the door for the rest of the world to gain the Salvation that only He could bring.
It’s a tiny verse that’s positioned perfectly right in between His actions in Jericho and His parable of the ten pounds for the servants. Within the mystery of God we can can be shown the biggest truths once hidden from us in plain sight. As always, reading the Bible constantly is a “best practice” in life.
It’s no secret that Ted Cruz bucks the system and is no fan of the Republican Establishment leadership in Congress. It’s also no secret that the Republican Establishment leadership in Congress do not like Cruz with Mitch McConnell and John Boehner being at the top of the Cruz-hater list. What we learned today is that Wisconsin Governor and GOP Presidential candidate Scott Walker doesn’t appreciate the treatment that Cruz receives from Congress.
In particular, he doesn’t care for the way that John Boehner publicly called Cruz a “jackass.” Kudos to Walker for not trying to use it as an occasion to promote himself but instead defended his Presidential competitor. Could Walker have a place in a Cruz team if he’s able to secure the nomination or even the Presidency?
Walker isn’t the most stable candidate, but it’s good to see that he has some class. That’s more than we can say about the Speaker of the House. Cruz acknowledged Walker’s defense.
“I’m a religious person,” said Donald Trump in reply to a question at the Family Leadership Summit.
Even President Obama seems more comfortable talking about his faith than Donald Trump. Notice that I didn’t say that he seemed uncomfortable when he’s talking about religion or even the Bible. On those topics, he seems much more comfortable to the point that when he declares that the Bible is his favorite book, it sounds very much like a line from a sales pitch, pointing to his fans and giving thumbs up accordingly. As one Twitter user put it, he’s pandering.
Then, there’s the strangely not-famous line about how personal the Bible is to him and that he doesn’t want to quote a favorite Bible verse or two. I can respect the idea of keeping a personal faith personal, particularly in an election, but his discomfort over the question is conspicuous. It doesn’t take a behavioral scientist to catch the fact that he’s not saying what he’s saying from a perspective of religious conviction but rather out of fear and unpreparedness. He is smart enough to keep this same story going (too personal) but it also wouldn’t be a shocker if he’s able to pull out a couple of memorized Bible verses the next time he’s asked.
Again, there are those who simply weren’t fooled.
Trump answering Qs about the Bible reminds me of kids answering Qs about the reading they didn't do in high school https://t.co/sJCZWbMl3B
When asked if he actively goes to church or “just when you can,” Trump took the answer that was given to him in the question and then turned briefly uncomfortable with his own response. He is very aware that people will be checking up on anything he says, so he is cautious with his responses while trying to highlight the “positives” of always going… twice a year.
Even self-proclaimed “libertarian RINO heathen” Chris Barron noticed a problem.
I go to church more than Trump and I am a heathen! Seriously evangelicals would consider voting for this clown? https://t.co/HMZ9mWbdrT
Donald Trump is a political outsider who isn’t afraid to speak his mind and who has some good conservative ideas. However, he’s not the type of person who can truly lead this country even if you take his questionable faith out of the equation. With it in the equation (as it should be for many of us), he’s arguably the most dangerous potential President on either side of the fence.
Do we believe that he'll let faith in & following of Jesus Christ lead him as president? "I don't bring God into it." http://t.co/BZUg94uF5e
The world is currently in a state that some consider to be indicative of the end times. It appears as if society is heading in the wrong direction – good is being called evil and evil is being called good. Governments are corrupt. Economies are failing. Wars and rumors of war fill the news every day. A conscientious and discerning Christian probably feels anxiety about the world around us.
These feelings can compel us to prepare, to circle the wagons so to speak and to get ready for the worst. The “prepper” movement is alive and well in America as people are buying food, ammunition, and emergency supplies as if tribulation and the apocalypse are right around the corner. They may be right, but there’s a step that many are skipping before they get physically prepared to weather the coming storm.
The step I’m speaking of is spiritual preparation. It’s very common for Christians in western society to take for granted their own spiritual preparation. This is a mistake. When tribulation comes, we will all be faced with challenges and persecutions that can make the unprepared turn away from their faith. I want to go over a few things that we believe are important to prepare before worrying about whether or not you have enough ammunition to keep the ravaging hordes away from your food and water stocks.
Certainty in Your Heart
If you’re like many in United States, you may have sat with a pastor and prayed the “Sinner’s Prayer.” It comes in many forms but usually ends with a statement from the pastor that if you said those words and meant them in your heart, that you’re saved now and forever. For many, this is a life changing experience that truly brings about a shift in your heart. That’s the Holy Spirit moving within you to make it sting inside when you sin, that guides you to do the right things even when they seem hard, and that fills you with sadness when you see people you care for who do not believe.
If, like many, you said the prayer and went about your business living life the same way you always did with the only difference being a feeling of license to sin without consequences, then it’s time to pray again. And again. And again. The Holy Spirit will move you to pray always, read your Bible, and fulfill the desired goals and actions that our Father has set before you. If you aren’t baptized, get baptized. If you aren’t certain if you’ve ever been baptized or you think that you were baptized as a child, get baptized.
There’s a verse in the Bible that is conspicuously missing from many translations. That verse is Acts 8:37:
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.Acts 8:35-39
The King James and other versions of the Bible make it very clear that being baptized is a choice that depends upon belief that Yeshua is the Son of God. Babies are incapable of believing this which is why the verse is excluded from Bibles that are commonly used by faiths that promote childhood baptism. Baptism is necessary and should be performed when you believe in Yeshua, not when you’re a child or when you still have doubts about the inerrancy of the Bible.
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.John 3:5 (KJV)
This isn’t the time to debate whether or not Baptism is necessary. That’s something we’ll cover more in-depth later. The point here is that you should make sure you’re truly in the Body of Christ. Going to church every Sunday and asking for things in prayer every now and then is likely not the certainty you need in your heart.
Understanding of the Possible Trials and Tribulations
We aren’t going to go into our perspectives about the pre-tribulation rapture. That’s a topic we’ve covered before and we’ll cover again, but not here. As Christians, we know that at any time we may be called out for our faith and even told that we must denounce it. Throughout American history, even recently, we’ve seen occasions where people are given a choice between death or denouncing the Bible. In many countries, this potential is a part of everyday life.
Would you be willing to accept death the way that the 21 Coptic Christians did? Reports show that the Islamic State abducted dozens of men and told those who were Christians to convert or die. 21 of them chose death.
It is terrifying to imagine that we could be put into the same situation. Believe it or not, things can be even worse. What if you’re in a terrible situation where your family is going to be tortured and killed if you don’t denounce your faith. Would you have the spiritual fortitude and courage to know that worshiping the Father, believing on the Son, and following the guidance of the Holy Spirit must supersede all worldly considerations, even family? Would you be able to do as Abraham did, nearly sacrificing his own son at the command of our Lord?
These questions aren’t meant to depress you. It’s important that you consider them. It’s imperative that you’re mentally and emotionally prepared if, God forbid, you are put into a situation where you must make these types of choices. It’s something that nobody likes to think about but it’s the type of situation that we all must prepare for just in case.
Bringing Your Circle to Faith
We all have friends or family members who simply do not believe. They may be lukewarm Christians. They may be non-believers or worshipers of false religions. Once you are steeled in your own faith, it’s important for both you and your family/friends that you do what you can to bring them to the same place in life.
That’s an important distinction to make. Being a Christian isn’t just a belief. It’s a way of life. It’s a stage in the journey for many of us that brings wonders and joy to those who truly get there. I’m not talking about wonders of this world or the joys of these bodies. Faith isn’t about riches or ease. True faith is the knowledge that we are given the ultimate gift and the desire to share that gift with as many as possible. It’s important to start with family and friends.
Bringing your circle of family and friends to the faith isn’t just a selfless act. As the world gets crazier and crazier, it’s our inner circle that influences us whether we want it to or not. Yes, we want to help them, but being surrounded by fellow believers, particular in these end times, makes it easier for us to continue down our path and is part of the strength we’ll need to persevere.
Wait, Help, Strengthen
Once you have accepted the gift of Salvation, prepared yourself mentally and emotionally for tribulation, and done what you can to bring your inner circle of influence to the faith, it’s time to partake in the great commission.
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.Matthew 28:16-20 (KJV)
For many, the next step can mean forsaking all else and doing ministry or missionary work. For others, it means finding that perfect cabin off the grid and getting physically prepared for the coming tribulations. We are not against “preppers” by any means. We’ve even done a small amount of preparation ourselves. However, all of this is secondary to the needs of the Spirit – spreading the Gospel and continuing to be students of the Bible in a constant state of learning and worshiping.
If we truly are in the end times, it’s a time to rejoice. As things get more and more difficult in this life, we know that the next life is drawing closer. Praise be to God.
Donald Trump is unlike any Presidential Candidate in the modern age. He is rough, intelligent, unapologetic, and a true showman. After 26-years of uninspiring Presidents and GOP candidates (yes, including both Presidents named Bush), he is showing many conservatives that they can think outside of the Republican Establishment box and have a candidate of action.
The problem is one of irony for the Republican party. This is the first election cycle since Ronald Reagan left office that we actually have some incredible candidates. We’ve needed someone like Donald Trump to come along and galvanize the party even if he’s not the best choice to lead it. Unfortunately, the year that he decided to run is the only year since the 80s when we didn’t need him to run.
Why didn’t he come in and give us someone other than Mitt Romney? Why couldn’t he have taken the place of John McCain rather than helping him raise money in 2008? A Trump Presidency from 2000-2007 could have yielded better results for the country than the Bush Presidency. He would have been much better than Bob Dole and at least a little better than G.H.W. Bush. Moreover, he would have had a better chance of keeping Bill and Hillary Clinton out of the White House.
Today, we don’t need Trump. Ted Cruz and Ben Carson are much better GOP choices than anyone since Reagan. Even Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and possibly Carly Fiorina are more inspiring than Romney, McCain, or Dole. Perhaps more importantly is the fact that this is the weakest group of contenders for the Democrats since Walter Mondale.
This is the year that we didn’t need Trump to come in and turn the Republican party upside down. We have the candidates. It was much simpler a couple of months ago when it was only necessary to beat Jeb Bush. Now, the most talented Republican primary contenders that we’ve seen in decades are being relegated to occasional questions here and there and most of the time they’re being asked about Trump.
I like Donald Trump and I really wish he would have been there for the party and the country when we really needed him. Any of the past seven elections he would have likely been the best choice. Today, he’s in the middle of a powerhouse pack of contenders but he’s getting all of the attention.
When we needed him, he wasn’t there. Now that finally don’t need him, he had to come in and mess everything up.
When I was a child, I loved watching the Thundercats. I don’t want to dwell on the storyline of post-apocalyptic feline humanoids battling mutants led by a demigod creature. Instead, I want to look at one episode that has stuck with me after three decades and how it applies to the world today.
We look around and see things changing very dramatically. Everything seems to be heading towards a post-Christian society in the United States, Europe, and other western cultures. Then, we can look to the Middle East, Africa, and Asia and see the persecution that’s driving Christians to make terrible choices. Sometimes, they must decide whether to save their lives by denouncing their faith or keep their faith while losing their lives.
The challenges faced by Christians in regions of the world where it’s dangerous to be a Christian are a different topic from what we’ll discuss here. Their challenges require a completely unique perspective, one we’ll cover in a future post.
Here, we’re talking about a western society that’s enamored by celebrities, willingly exposed to abominations, and accepting of sins that were once seen for the evil that they are. What’s worse is that these things are being allowed and even promoted by those who believe they are faithful, discerning, and conscientious. Modern sensibilities are used as excuses to be more tolerant. Forgiveness is used as a reason to reinterpret the Bible. Those who have their eyes open realize that the pace of the growing evil in the world is much faster than the hope that’s being spread through the Gospel…
… or is it?
If there’s one thing we can know for sure about this world, it’s that the powers, principalities, and rulers are gaining more control over the flow of information in the world.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)
As a result, we are manipulated beyond our earthly understanding. This means that the rise of the Gospel and its spread across the world is likely increasing much faster than we can know. We can see it in our lives when talking to the people around us if we’re looking, but the parts that stand out are the opposite. We see the evils of the world, the friends we find on the Ashley Madison list, the spread of our sinful natures accepting things that simply shouldn’t be, the rise of atheism and Islam – it can cause great despair in those of us who want nothing more than to serve our Father and honor our Lord and Savior.
If we can look beneath the surface by taking pointing our noses away from the television and the iPads, we’ll see that there’s hope. This is a post-Christian society for those who are willing to believe that it is. Unfortunately, that’s most of us. However, those who realize that God’s Will is all powerful and that nothing is impossible for Him, we can see that there truly is hope.
The adversary cannot defeat us unless we lose faith in our Lord and hope for the world. What we see around us is designed to deprive us of both faith and hope. Now is not the time to give up and accept the post-Christian society that we keep hearing about. Now is the time to fight harder, to push forward, to persevere.
In one particular episode, the leader of the Thundercats, Lion-O, has to beat all of his companions at what they do best. He has to race Cheetara, the “fastest creature alive,” in a footrace. After a long race, they are head-to-head for the final five miles. She is much faster than him and gets off to a huge lead, but we learn that she can only sustain her top speed for two miles. Lion-O can beat her if he doesn’t give up, but for a moment he allows the impossibility of the situation to fill him with doubt.
Of course, he doesn’t give up and is able to catch up with her in the end. She pulled so far ahead but she couldn’t sustain. It was Lion-O’s perseverance that allows him to win. We are faced with the same task. The world around us is telling us how impossible it is for the Gospel to continue to spread in a society that is pulling away from it and turning its attentions elsewhere. If we believe that this is the case, then it is.
If we maintain the faith and keep the hope that has been promised for all of time, then there’s nothing that the perceived changes in our society can do to us. The time is short. We’re likely in the final five-mile stretch in our race. The adversary is pulling away. It’s time for us to run faster, push harder, and be part of the fulfillment of the eternal promise of salvation.
I wasn’t a believer. I thought that Carly Fiorina was overrated as a candidate and deserved to be on the bottom tier. Then, I saw her Fox debate performance. More importantly, I saw how the public responded to her at the polls following the debate. She made me a believer. Carly Fiorina is the real deal and needs to be at the CNN debate, but chances are very strong that she won’t.
The issue here is that CNN is stupid. They published their asinine debate criteria back in May. Once published, the Federal Election Committee prohibits making changes. The stupidity of CNN comes in the form of reliance on polls that will be over a month old by the time the debate occurs, polls that did not include performances during the first debate on August 6. This stupidity basically states that they did not believe that opinions can change to make polls irrelevant over a 40+ day period.
I cannot stress this enough: their rules are insanely stupid.
Whatever the polls said before the Fox debate are pretty much irrelevant. Fiorina is more deserving and currently polling better than Rand Paul, John Kasich, Mike Huckabee, and Chris Christie, all of whom fell after poor performances in the first debate. Fiorina shot up in the polls after her performance in the consolation debate and now she’s probably going to have to do the same thing again based upon the silliness of a network that believes in antiquated data.
Like many Americans, I’m not certain if Carly Fiorina is the right person to lead this country, but it’s very clear that she’s earned the right to state her case on a national stage. Her campaign is blaming the RNC in part for her challenges and that may be the case, but there’s no doubt that CNN should shoulder most of the blame.
This story won’t give you confidence in humanity. After 15 years of neglect three horses were found on farm in Woodbine, Maryland surrounded by four-feet of manure. Their hooves had grown to over 3 feet long which made them unable to walk without getting tangled up.
One miniature mare had to be euthanized. The other two were 18 year-old males that will need a minimum of one year rehabilitation, if they survive.
The two surviving horses were taken to Days End Farm Horse Rescue where they are said to be in critical condition. Both animal rescue and the vet attending to them say it is the worst neglect they have ever seen.
The case is currently being investigated and we are sure that whoever is responsible, if caught, will face severe penalties or even jail time.
There’s something important to note: ignorance and intelligence are two different things. We’re not calling Donald Trump’s supporters stupid. They are, however, ignorant of the reality of the man and naive about what he’s selling versus what he’s actually going to do if he were to get into the White House.
Nobody doubts his ability to sell. He sells television ratings; even he calls himself the “Ratings King.” He sells ideas; a business man doesn’t achieve the heights he’s achieved without being able to sell concepts that would be appealing to the average listener. He sells the deal; that’s his greatest strength in business and proving to be his greatest strength in politics.
Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke recognizes this. That’s one of the things that he finds most appealing about Trump as he reiterated over and over again last week on his radio show.
Being the “best in the lot” would normally be considered a great thing to hear from a radio host and two-time Presidential candidate, but it’s definitely not the type of endorsement that Trump would want publicized. The reason is because he’s a smart man who knows that the most likely people he can sell his dreams to would be the ignorant (not stupid) Republicans who become enamored easily by his straight-talking style.
Donald Trump is a salesman through and through. He knows how to analyze a situation and create support from the people he’s trying to whom he’s trying to sell. Again, it’s his greatest strength. He’s selling America his own brand of politics and many are buying into it, not because of the merits of the plans but because of the way he’s able to sell it to them.
David Duke Endorses Trump: ‘He Understands The Real Sentiment Of America’ http://t.co/bSMieKNlSU via crooksandliars
It’s been said twice and it should be said again. Being a Donald Trump supporter does not make someone stupid. In fact, ignorant probably isn’t even the right word. Trumps supporters are gullible. They’ve fallen for the sales pitch of a master salesperson and they think that it will equate to change in America. The reality is this: the disappointment that many of President Obama’s supporters are feeling today is small compared to the regret that Trump’s supporters will feel if he’s elected.
The vast majority of voters would say that they do not weigh religion into their voting practices. The concept of the separation of church and state is often part of this mindset; most do not want religion to play a major role in their government. It’s the misunderstanding of the concept that brings about this perception and it’s exactly why those of faith must vote for Ted Cruz.
There’s a shift happening in America that is only a little alarming now. Unfortunately, this shift is ongoing to the point that most would consider it to be a trend. That trend is pointing to a society where religious liberty is abandoned for the sake of personal rights of expression and lifestyles. Mandates are superseding freedoms and choices. We are heading towards a society where the condition of being a Christian is only acceptable behind closed doors.
The separation of church and state was primarily intended to keep the government out of the church, synagogue, mosque, or any other religious building. It was intended to allow people their rights to adhere to their religious beliefs even if those beliefs included no religion at all. Before the country was even formed, it was religious persecution that drove Europeans to settle in the new lands of America. Then, the Constitution echoed these foundations. Today, the pendulum of the “separation of church and state” has swung all the way to the left so that we now have a mindset of “elimination of church from state.”
In other words, the state is starting to mandate what religious views we’re allowed to practice and any utterance of religion in the context of government will give you an instant classification as a bigot.
There are many reasons that this is happening, but one of the most notable for today’s conversation is payback. Religious freedoms have been abused to push inappropriate agendas or to harm people for the wrong reasons ever since the dawn of man and America is no different. One would be naive to think that this isn’t the case. Today, we have been able to remove many of the obstacles that were placed before people in the name of religion and we should be at a point of harmony where religion doesn’t get in the way of government or society while government and society do not get in the way of religion. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. We’re in the process of over-correcting. Religion was a freedom that many abused. Now, religion is becoming a freedom that certain groups are trying to eliminate.
The real bigotry that we’re seeing emerge is not coming from Christians but rather being directed towards them. There is absolutely nothing American about forcing someone to bake a cake for a ceremony that goes against their religion, but that’s exactly what’s happening. Would there be equal outrage if someone refused to bake a cake with a cross on it for a Christian family’s birthday party? Possibly, but I assure you the argument against anyone who protested would be that no baker should be forced to support a religious symbol for a birthday party if they didn’t believe in that religion. Would the ACLU swoop in and cry foul? Of course not.
The funny part is that I would support a baker’s right to not bake a cake with a cross on it. In America, the freedom to practice your religion or to not practice any religion at all means that we must allow for choices. When it comes to religious liberties, we’re seeing the protections are only being levied in one direction.
There are other so-called “evangelical” candidates such as Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, and Rick Santorum. None of them can win. More importantly, none of them have the other qualities that Ted Cruz possesses.
Some say he’s too divisive, that he’s too conservative and outspoken. If you look at eight of the past nine elections, the winner has always been the divisive, controversial candidate. The Democrats know this. The Republicans keep putting up moderate, uncontroversial, milquetoast candidates like Mitt Romney, John McCain, and Bob Dole.
Others say that Donald Trump is the solution. They love the fact that he’s willing to speak his mind, that he’s not a politician, and that he even has a few good ideas. Unfortunately, his leadership style is based on bullying and corruption, not dissimilar from the way that President Obama operates. He will get frustrated by not having the absolute power that he’s accustomed to and will respond to his own ineffectiveness the way that President Obama has responded to his.
Is it worse to buy politicians or to be bought as a politician? Trump might be the first person to be prolific at both if he’s elected. He won’t be bought with money, of course. As President, he’ll be bought through promises of deals here and favors there that he will believe will help his Presidency. The man simply lacks the ability to handle the constraints of the Presidency and it will rattle him terribly that he can’t just do what he wants. You can see in his inability to handle the Megyn Kelly situation that he is easily rattled. That’s nothing compared to what he would face in the general election season and it’s a far cry from the abuse he’ll get as President.
He will be eaten alive in Washington DC. Donald Trump as President would set the country back 8 years and set the Republican party back 20 years.
Don’t get me wrong. I think he’s an exceptionally talented business man and entertainer. He has some good ideas. However, he lacks the temperament, political skills, and ethical barriers that are required of a great President. He is not Ronald Reagan or anything close to is as some are saying. The President that he most resembles truly is President Obama. It’s unfortunate that so few see this.
To improve the economy, defend the nation, and galvanize the people, there are a handful of strong candidates this year. Once you filter those choices by adding morality, values, and a willingness to keep the Judeo-Christian core that made our country great, there’s only one candidate that makes sense for America.
With all of the turmoil that has surrounded Ferguson, MO, for the past year, it’s good to see someone in the government making a move that will reduce some of the tension that has been ripping the city and much of the nation apart. Big changes were announced Monday, including an order to withdraw all arrest warrants issued before 2015.
Newly appointed Municipal Court Judge Donald McCullin made several changes, some of which echo changes that are happening in other surrounding areas and some of which are new. They are designed to relieve much of the unnecessary pressure on the citizens and the police force, reducing the possibilities for conflict by forgiving past crimes. While some may view it as injustice, others see it as a necessary step to let flames of past scars cool down.
Late last week, a protest group known as Campaign Zero released a policy platform that called for the end of police violence across the country and warned that they will be monitoring the activities and stances of political figures based upon reactions to police brutality.
All of this comes just in time for the residents of Ferguson. Not only are the faced with constant pressure from the media and a police force that has been very hesitant in performing their duties, but the city is also facing several financial hardships. It was in a poor fiscal position prior to the controversies and the unrest increases the strain on taxpayers.
Violence will likely continue as the city seems to be in a constant state of rebuilding as well as fear. Nobody knows when the next building is going to burn.
It’s just a step, but a city that has gone through so much sorrow and turmoil over the last year deserves every step forward they can get towards recovery.
A Monsanto Lobbyist was in the middle of an interview where he was defending the use of glyphosate, a chemical component in Monsanto’s pesticide Roundup, in Argentina and that he believes it isn’t connected with the increases in cancer. He goes on to say, “you can drink a whole quart of it and it won’t hurt you.”
Little did the lobbyist know that the interviewer had some glyphosate on hand. When asked if he’d be willing to drink it the lobbyist said “I’d be happy to…but not really.” He continued to state how safe it was and that it wasn’t dangerous to humans, but when asked again if he’d be willing to drink it he flat out said “NO…I’m not an idiot”. He then stood up and quickly ended the interview.
Need we say more?
If you want 2 Laugh! See what a Monsantos lobbyist does when asked to drink what kills bees> https://t.co/fZlrClR6AB
On August 9th 10,000 people took to the streets in Hawaii’s Waikiki district to protest big biochemical companies such as, DOW, BASF, Syngenta and Dupont for their disregard for public safety and what many claim is causing a disturbing increase in birth defects.
They may have a legitimate complaint. In the U.S. mainland GMO crops are sprayed with pesticides and herbicides. However, in Kauai, Hawaii they are being sprayed with 17x more pesticides per acre, which leaves many to wonder if the increase (ten times more than the national average over the last five years) in birth defects is a result of the inundation of chemicals.
in #Kauai, greater (17x) pesticide use on #GMOs has "coincided" w/ more (10x) children born with heart malformations http://t.co/GBz32OoBpi
Meanwhile Monsanto has been implementing advertising campaigns in schools in order to gain support and change their image, touting rhetoric that the well-being of the community is their number one priority. Many are not sold on these claims and are demanding stronger protection for their children against the agrochemical giants.
Don’t misunderstand… I know it’s challenging. When someone you despise makes it so easy to attack them, it’s hard to pull back. But as I wrote about at the end of May, the Republican party should be desperately rooting for Hillary Clinton to get the nomination. She would be the easiest candidate for the Republican party to defeat in 2016.
Joe Biden is thinking about getting in the race. There’s another candidate that we love to poke fun at, but he’s strangely endearing and would be a greater threat than Clinton. Martin O’Malley has an appeal that would shine through if he gets a national stage through the nomination. Then, there’s Bernie Sanders whose socialist ideas might have been laughable a few years ago but today it’s not unimaginable to see the country rallying around it.
Society is very different than it was just a few years ago. We’re seeing a liberalization of the country that is unlike anything we’ve seen in the recent past. Sure, we’ve had Democrats in office 14 of the last 22 years, but they were only able to work within the confines of sanity. Today, it would appear that at least half of the American voters are losing their foundation and running towards the entitlement mentality that the left perpetuates. This is the most important election in decades. We cannot afford any of the candidates on the left to win and the most vulnerable would be Clinton.
Let her through. Give her a pass. Stop pointing out all of the bad things she has done. Save the ammunition. If she’s able to make it through all of these controversies and emerge on the other side as the Democratic nominee, then it would be time to unleash on her. Now, it’s fruitless and actually damaging to try to take her down prematurely.
As public relations damage control goes, working with famous musicians has proven to be challenging for even the best at their jobs. Girls around the world are being crushed by news of a “hiatus” by boy band One Direction in what appears to be a split that’s being called anything other than a split.
The machines in both directions are working furiously to calm down fans and prevent any rumors from starting, but they’re already starting.
The shows in Sheffield, UK, at the end of October will be the last for at least a year for the super-popular group. Not that they needed help selling out, but the tour will certainly end to a packed house.
If you love travelling and hate paying rent, there’s a cheaper alternative in Germany. Buy a train ticket. The all-you-can-travel ticket costs $380 per month and allows you to board any train in the country you want.
That’s the story of 23-year-old Leonie MĆ¼ller. After a dispute with her landlord, she decided that she no longer wanted to live anywhere in particular. Instead, she lives pretty much everywhere. Between classes and visits to friends and family, she stays on trains. She eats on trains. She works on trains. She even washes her hair in train restrooms. She’s living the ultimate traveler’s lifestyle.
It’s getting her a ton of attention in Germany and throughout Europe. She’s using this attention to spread the word about breaking outside of the norms of society. She also plans for her adventures to be the source of her final undergraduate paper.
If living in an apartment isn’t the right move for you, check out your local train fares. You might find that it’s actually cheaper and more enjoyable to have a moving home.
The United States media is more concerned with creating controversies and backing Republicans into a corner than actually focusing on the news. Ben Carson is learning this, now. Welcome to American politics, Mr. Carson.
While on CNN’s State of the Union, the GOP presidential received a line of questions from host Jim Acosta that was clearly designed to make Carson stumble, backtrack, or admit to something that he didn’t say. Even after Carson clearly answered the question that he wouldn’t use the drones against the cartels or against illegal immigrants, just the caves used by the “scouts” who help people cross, Acosta decided to restate the question in pretty much the same way in hopes that he could get the response he wanted.
“But I just want to make sure we button this down,” Acosta said. “So you’re saying that is some instances you would advocate using drone strikes to take out cartels that are bringing migrants across the border – is that what you’re talking about?”
As a liberal, I’m ashamed of media like Acosta who clearly had some “gotcha” questions that he had to get out even if they didn’t correspond with the responses. It was a totally amateur move for someone who clearly isn’t able to conduct an interview by thinking on his feet. It was as if Ron Burgundy was conducting an interview from a teleprompter. At one point, a frustrated Carson even had to tell Acosta, “Read my lips.”
Whether you’re liberal or conservative, democrat or republican, your responsibility as a journalist is to tell the stories as they are and dig deeper into the truth. I am not a Carson supporter, but Acosta forced my sympathies to reach towards him based upon a clearly politically-driven interview that the host hoped would get under Carson’s skin. Unfortunately, it worked.
As disheartening as it is for his supporters to hear, Donald Trump cannot win the Presidency. He has made way too many idiotic comments, done too many shady deals, and alienated too many voters to ever have a chance to win a general election. You won’t hear this from mainstream media, though. They don’t want you to know.
In fact, they want to extend the Trump situation for as long as possible. They want him to have hope. They want you to have hope. Their desire to see him as the GOP nominee is only surpassed by their desire to see him as a third-party candidate that would insure a Democratic victory regardless of who they put up as a candidate.
A recent comprehensive look at Trump’s chances by the National Review points to many of the reasons that Trump can’t win. Here are some of them:
As candidate fall off after the early primaries, they will head towards other candidates but likely not Trump.
He doesn’t have an ideological base; he has supporters from the center to the far right in equal measure.
He does best on polls without college degrees. Anyone can take a poll but those with college degrees are more likely to actually vote.
He has by far the highest percentage of “would never vote for” ratings among the major candidates.
Women didn’t like him very much before the Megyn Kelly incident and they like him even less today.
The most important reason that Trump can’t win is that he has already peaked. Those who would really consider voting for him over other candidates have already shifted in his direction. That’s not the case with any other candidate. If Rand Paul drops out, for example, his base will likely shift to Ted Cruz or another conservative favorite. When Lindsay Graham falls, his supporters will head towards Bush or another moderate. Few of them will shift towards Trump because he’s polarizing within the party. In other words, he’s either the #1 choice for voters or the last resort. Very few would consider him their #2 or #3 choice because if you like him, you love him, and if you don’t like him, you hate him.
Conscientious conservatives hear what Trump is saying. We realize that many of his ideas and statements are clean and they sound like the type of changes we need in Washington DC. However, we also realize that what he says and what he’ll be able to do are two different things.
Strategic Democrats are hoping that the Trump circus will be performing for as long as possible for the same reasons that conservatives hope he’ll fade away as quickly as possible. Disruptions can be a positive force in the primaries and really at any point in an election, but they must be disruptions that promote a positive direction for the parties and more importantly for the country. Donald Trump is not creating a positive disruption. He’s making a spectacle of himself, the party, and the nation, distracting voters from learning about real candidates who have a chance of winning the general election.
The Democrats and the liberal mainstream media all know this. They are already pulling together dirt to throw at him if he gets the election. While Republicans seem to fire their weapons as soon as they’re available (as Hillary Clinton knows all too well), the left tends to be much more calculated with their attacks. They won’t take down Trump unless he has the GOP nomination secured. They don’t want him to leave. He’s turning the Republican Party into a drunken house party, leaving political destruction and chaos in his wake.
Most would agree that he has some good ideas and an attitude that is appealing to a disenchanted party longing for someone other than milquetoast John McCain, Mitt Romney, or Jeb Bush. However, he gas too much baggage to win the general election and liberals know this. Will conservative catch on to this fact before it’s too late?
The takeaway is pretty clear. Trump may have more appeal among tea-party and “very conservative” voters than among others, but he is primarily a protest candidate for the angry of all persuasions. Unless he can somehow persuade women, the college-educated, and those from the center and the center–left of the GOP to change their minds, he is very likely to find his upside limited as other candidates start to drop out, assuming that he is in for the duration. This suggests that an establishment alternative will still have the advantage, passions unleashed by Trump notwithstanding.
The sheer brutality and disregard for human life by the Islamic State continues to become more evident as reports flood the news wire about their atrocities. The latest report shows that 19 kidnapped girls were murdered for not willingly becoming sex slaves for ISIS soldiers.
The culture of rape within the organization has brought fear to a new level within the Middle East as the Islamic State expands its reach and power. While many countries, including the United States, continue to use ineffective airstrikes to stop the organization, non-Sunni Muslims, Christians, and people of other faiths are being butchered.
The radical Islamist group believes that the Yazidis are heretics and the Christians expendable. Senior UN official Zainab Bangura said that ISIS maintains and publicizes a “slave price list” for captured women and children. She also reported that the group’s ongoing appeal and barbarity pose an unprecedented challenge to those that oppose them.
